Chair of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) Oleh Korikov confirmed the arrival of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to all three nuclear power plants in Ukraine-controlled territory in the near future.
“The IAEA agreed to organize a mission to all our other nuclear power plants at the invitation of Ukraine. The key goal is to monitor nuclear safety in military conditions. The IAEA will witness in real time what happens when all power units are turned off by emergency protection, as happened on November 23 in Russian shelling,” he said during a briefing at the Media Center in Kyiv on Tuesday.
“In the near future, the mission will arrive and will be more widely represented at all nuclear power plants,” Korikov said.
He also said the IAEA continues negotiations with Russia on the creation of a security zone initiated by the agency around the seized Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, based on the Ukrainian position of complete demilitarization and de-occupation of the plant.
“Negotiations are being held, meetings are taking place in Moscow. We proceed from the proposal that the security zone should be created on the terms of complete demilitarization, de-occupation of ZNPP, including the town of Energodar, and returning it under the control of the Ukrainian authorities. We make our proposals to Grossi [IAEA Head Rafael Grossi] was handed over, and in his negotiations he proceeds from the Ukrainian position,” the SNRIU’s chair said.
At the same time, he said as a result of the occupation of Zaporizhia NPP by the Russians, “there has been a significant degradation of nuclear and radiation safety at Zaporizhia NPP,” and the presence of the Russian military has nothing to do with these concepts.
“In fact, the invaders have turned ZNPP into a military and repair base where their equipment is being repaired. These actions are unacceptable,” Korikov said, adding that these actions at ZNPP are taking place in frontline of the permanent IAEA mission, and even it cannot decisively influence the behavior of the invaders.
Korikov said ZNPP is connected to the energy system of Ukraine and consumes Ukrainian electricity, but, despite the ability to issue a resource, its launch is blocked by the occupiers.
He also said as a result of the creation by the Russian invaders of dangerous working conditions at ZNPP, the number of its personnel has significantly decreased, but enough to ensure safe operation under such conditions.
The Russians, including representatives of Rosatom, who are at the plant, according to the SNRIU’s chair, will fall under personal sanctions, their list is established by the relevant services of Ukraine.
He also said Ukraine is doing everything possible to ensure that international sanctions are applied to the state-owned concern Rosatom.
“We are also working towards sanctions on international projects of Rosatom, on Rosatom itself and on the regulatory agency. It is difficult to predict what the tenth package of sanctions will represent, but we are actively doing the relevant work,” the nuclear regulator’s head said.
Korikov said that eight out of nine power units that are located in the territory controlled by Ukraine are currently operating in the energy system, one is under scheduled repairs. According to him, nuclear power plants provide a little more than half of electricity consumption.
“All possible nuclear capacities are used to the maximum,” the SNRIU’s chair said.
SE NNEGC Energoatom is ready to put into operation all 15 power units of 4 Ukrainian nuclear power plants next winter, company president Petr Kotin said on Ukrainian radio on Wednesday.
“We are ready to launch all 15 power units from the Energoatom generation side,” Kotin said.
At the same time, he explained that the largest in Ukraine and occupied by Russian invaders, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, is currently operating at half capacity due to damage to power lines.
“Everything will depend on the end of hostilities. If we liberate the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and resume the operation of the damaged lines, then we will be able to work with all six power units at the ZNPP,” the head of Energoatom said.
At the same time, according to him, the remaining nine power units in the territory controlled by Ukraine will be ready to operate at full capacity.
“We are optimistic about these events and the fact that we will pass the heating season,” the president of NAEK stressed.
As reported, Energoatom used the practice of operating 15 power units in January-February this year, which caused ambiguous comments from experts regarding the optimal loading of the energy system in terms of the structure of generating capacities.
However, in the upcoming heating season 2022-23. The launch of the maximum number of NPP power units can be facilitated by an increase in electricity exports to the EU countries by the end of 2022 to approximately 1,000 MW.
Westinghouse will supply nine batches of fuel for Ukrainian NPPs in 2021, President of Westinghouse’s Europe, Middle East and Africa Operating Plant Services Business Unit Tarik Choho has said.
“In total, in 2021, we will deliver fuel for nine refuelings, and in 2022 it will be seven,” he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, for all the years of cooperation with National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom Westinghouse has supplied 1,626 fuel assemblies for nuclear power plants to Ukraine.
Chokho recalled that Westinghouse fuel for VVER-1000 reactors is already in operation at six out of 15 nuclear reactors in Ukraine. “These are units Nos. 1,3,4,5 of Zaporizhia NPP, as well as units Nos. 2 and 3 of Yuzhnoukrinsk NPP. Moreover, five units out of six [units Nos. 1,3,5 of Zaporizhia NPP and No. 3 of Yuzhnoukrinsk NPP] are fully loaded with Westinghouse fuel,” he said.
In addition, starting in 2022, Westinghouse fuel for VVER-1000 reactors will also be used at unit No. 3 of Rivne NPP, and two years later Westinghouse will supply fuel for VVER-440 to unit No. 2 of this plant.
State-owned enterprise National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom and JSC Turboatom (Kharkiv) signed the five year (2020-2024) program on modernizing equipment of Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs) on Tuesday.
According to a press release of Energoatom, the program involves the replacement of eight turbine condensers of nuclear power reactors, including four Russian-made condensers. After replacing the condensers, the total increase in power of reactors will be about 400 MW.
The document also provides for the modernization of flowing parts of turbine cylinders with a capacity of 200 MW and 1000 MW, including five turbines with a capacity of 1000 MW as part of import substitution. Modernization includes the replacement of rotor blades on existing rotors and diaphragms, which will increase the turbine’s power and its efficiency.
It is also planned to upgrade the high-pressure cylinders of the turbines of the Zaporizhia NPP, starting in 2020. Modernization of turbines will increase the capacity and efficiency of existing reactors of Ukrainian NPPs by 10%, which will provide a power increase of 70-100 MW at each reactor.
In addition, on Tuesday in Enerhodar (Zaporizhia region), an agreement was signed between Atomkomplekt (a separate division of Energoatom) and Turboatom for the manufacture and supply of a block-modular condenser for replacing the condenser of the K K-1000-60/1500 turbine at reactor five of Zaporizhia NPP in April 2020.
The parties also discussed a long-term repair program for the replacement of used spare parts.
“Four years ago, we gave a new powerful start to our cooperation, which is not only servicing the turbine park, but also the replacement and modernization of equipment. This will allow us to increase and improve the efficiency of nuclear power plants, to increase the generation of electric energy, which is important in conditions a new market, when every additional kilowatt-hour produced gives additional income,” Energoatom President Yuriy Nedashkovsky said.
According to the CEO of Turboatom Victor Subbotin, the volume of modernization at Energoatom for five years will exceed UAH 6 billion, which is a significant contribution to the utilization of production capacities and personnel of the enterprise.
State-owned enterprise Energoatom in January-June 2018 saw net profit rise by almost 2 times compared to the same period last year, to UAH 3.186 billion. According to reporting on the website of the generating company, its net income in the first half of the year increased by 1.1%, to UAH 20.747 billion, while gross profit decreased by 1.8%, to UAH 5.166 billion.
As reported, Energoatom in 2017 received a net loss of UAH 1.322 billion against UAH 232.791 million of net profit for 2016. Net income in 2017 increased by 6.7%, to UAH 38.488 billion, while gross profit decreased by 16.7%, to UAH 4.773 billion.
Energoatom is the operator of all four operating NPPs in Ukraine. It operates 15 power units equipped with VVER reactors with a total installed capacity of 13.835 GW.
National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom has signed a contract with Orano (earlier Areva, France) to assess the possibility of the practical implementation of services to reprocess spent nuclear fuel assemblies from Ukrainian reactors of VVER-1000 type at the French La Hague Reprocessing Plant. “This contract marks an important step for Orano. It is a real success for us. It will pave a way for treating Ukrainian spent nuclear fuel by the French reprocessing sector,” the press service of Energoatom reported, citing Senior Executive Vice President of Orano’s Recycling Business Unit Pascal Aubret.
Energoatom said that after producing electricity in a power reactor, the spent fuel contains 96% of recyclable materials and 4% of final waste. The process implemented at Orano’s La Hague plant separates the reusable materials, which will once again be used to produce energy, from the final waste which undergoes safe and stable conditioning and packaging.
According to an announcement of Energoatom in the ProZorro e-procurement system, the cost of the contract signed with Orano Cycle is EUR 1.395 million. The company is to finish the study before December 31, 2020.
At present, Energoatom sends spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing to the Russian Federation. At the same time, there is the problem of handling VVER-1000 spent fuel from Westinghouse. So, while carrying out research on the possibility of processing Westinghouse spent nuclear fuel, information about the design of fuel assemblies is used. Westinghouse agreed to provide relevant information only to Areva.
